Cuts, Concern and Comfort
by happyquinns
Summary: "I know what it does to me, but I just give up, like you said it's an addiction, I'm addicted to the risk and the high I get from doing this. It helps to distract from others thing. I don't think you understand what you're asking." / "I understand I don't want you hurt, I understand this isn't healthy, and I know you do too." (Mostly likely) Oneshot.


_**First update in a while and it's for a different show!**_

_**So I wrote this about a month and a half ago and uploaded it too my tumblr, I have a few up there actually, and over time I'll probably upload the rest.**_

_**Hope you enjoy :)**_

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><p>"This needs to stop," Happy began as she grabbed another antiseptic wipe, and traced it gently over the knuckles of his right hand, she noticed him wince back and tense slightly at the sting, but she reckoned he deserved it. It was one thirty in the morning and she was sat at her kitchen counter with Toby, the dim light of her apartment casting over them as she bandaged him up from yet another brawl that had started with him gambling against the wrong people.<p>

"Pardon?" he returned. They hadn't said more than two words to each other since he pushed into his friend's apartment ten minutes ago, struggling to catch his breath and was stood bent over with his hands on his knees. He flinched once more as she cleaned the graze on the inside of his palm, but the action resulted with her just gripping his wrist tighter. He could tell she was angry and annoyed.

Happy tossed the wipe into the used pile on her right. She remained still and silent as she stared down at his hands, both were swollen with cuts and grazes. Her eyes then moved to his face, which wasn't in any better shape, it hadn't been this bad in a while. "Your gambling, Toby," her grasp on his wrist loosened slightly, with her thumb remaining gently on his pulse. "I understand it's an addiction, and it's who you are, but look at what it's doing to you. This is the third time in the last couple months you've shown up just at my place, I saw your knuckles two weeks ago." She let out a soft sigh, which was half a tremble, she had never expected to get this involved with his issues, but she cared for him, she didn't want to see him like this. Her eyes fell again and she reached for the bandages to distract herself.

"I know what it does to me, but I just give up, like you said it's an addiction, I'm addicted to the risk and the high I get from doing this. It helps to distract from others thing. I don't think you understand what you're asking," his words were half mumbled and he felt ashamed, he knew what he was doing wasn't right, he was the shrink, he knew better than anyone else this was not the right way to vent his problems.

"I understand I don't want you hurt, I understand this isn't healthy, and I know you do too," she picked up a bandage and began to wrap it around his hand. "Was it your ex again? Money problems?"

"I saw her with someone," he admitted in a whisper. "I thought I was fine, I thought I had finally gotten past it all. But when I saw her today with someone else, I just felt like I was dragged back an entire year to when she kicked me out, the stress built up and I did the only thing I've trained my brain to do in that situation, I got in over my head, I screwed up and now I'm here, ruining your night."

Happy noticed his fist balling again as he got worked up. She gently moved her fingers between his and his palm and slowly moved them back out again. She blamed how touchy she was on how she hadn't slept, and she pushed back the feeling of how her heart sunk as he went on. Happy then decided to distracted her hands by finishing the bandaging she had already started. "I'd rather this then you come to work tomorrow with a massive hangover," she stuck the end of the bandage on with tape. Happy returned her eyes to his, "I'm not saying you should give up cold turkey, or maybe even at all, just stop doing it so dangerously, Toby, within the team is fine, it's fun, no one get's physically hurt. Do you understand?" She waited until he nodded. "Okay, now let me get your face, " Happy shifted up to sit on the counter, for a better angle, one foot under her and she placed another antiseptic wipe over a cut above his eyebrow, to which he cursed another his breath.

"I know you, and everyone else wants this to stop, trust me if I could do what you're asking, I would, but Happy this is all I know, this is how I made my way, how I survived, how I became a doctor..." He went to drop his head, but she cupped his chin right away and lifted it back up to look at her. There was still a tone of anger in her eyes, but it was diluted by determination.

"Then we will take baby steps, you are fine at the moment you've calmed, do you feel the need to risk yourself right now even while we're still talking on this subject?" she waited until he shook his head, and her clasp on his chin moved and she held the side on his face, careful of the cuts, her fingers curling just under his jaw. "Then whenever you feel this way again you come to me, because I'd rather talk to you then have to do this every time." There was a pause of silence where they held each others gaze, unmoving. Happy was the one to break it, diverting her eyes to the cut again. "Now turn your head," she ordered, trying to change back into herself, who that wasn't so emotional, who didn't show this much concern for Toby.

Toby waited until she had put the cut band-aid over the cut before moving his head back to face her. He enjoyed her touch, her hands against his cheek were cooling as his face still burned from earlier, he even found himself leaning into it slightly, knowing how dangerous it was to show this much affection towards his friend, but the slight intoxication and feeling of utter defeat dealt with that. He let a warm smile come to his face as she continued to clean him up, "I have very little confidence in this plan, but I really appreciate what you're doing," he let out a breath and waited until their eyes met again, and he noticed just how tired she was, this wasn't her job, she didn't have to do this, she could have kicked him out as soon as he arrived, but the fact she let him in and was now cleaning him up made him feel that little more wanted and cared for, which helped ease how his body stung. "But thank you," he moved his hand over the one she still had cupping his face.

Happy moved her gaze to his once more, her heart tugged slightly, he looked so broken, and she didn't like it, she really hoped his words were wrong and this plan did work.

"I know giving a damn about me is hard for you, " he smirked, trying to break the tension, which received him a punch to the shoulder before Happy jumped off the counter.

"Watch yourself, Doc, I can make this a lot more painful," she smiled slyly before moving to the freezer to pull out and ice pack. She appreciated how he had changed to conversation to something more like them, and that he could tell how this was different for her and how she was struggling with it.

He pushed himself of the stool, "Oh I know you could," he winked and she shoved the pack right into his gut with narrowed eyes and a scoff. She went to move past him, but he caught her wrist, and turned to face, and his voice became hushed and low, "In all seriousness, Happy, I'd be a lost cause without you, thank you for putting up with me like this."

Happy enjoyed how his fingers wrapped carefully around her wrist, his thumb over her pulse, slowly moving back and forth but she couldn't let him see that. "Save the sappiness for your own counseling sessions, you crazy shrink, and get to that couch before I have to again treat you like a child and drag you there." She pulled him in the direction of the couch but made no effort to remove his hand from hers.

"Yes M'am," Toby fake saluted, as he followed her.

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading, and tell me what you think in the reviews :)<em>**


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